Cristiano Ronaldo broke a new record in his career on Thursday by playing his 197th game with the Portugal team, making him the player with the most appearances with an absolute.
Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch
38 years old, he returned on Thursday, March 23 to represent his country in the duel between Portugal and Liechtenstein in Lisbon, in which the Spanish Roberto Martínez put him as a starter, and beat the Kuwaiti Bader Al Mutawa.
Al Mutawa, also 38, is still active, but has not been called up by the new Kuwait coach, the Portuguese Rui Bento, who in his playing days coincided with a young Cristiano at Sporting de Portugal.
so i thought
In the pre-match press conference, Cristiano Ronaldo stated that achieving this feat would make him “quite proud”.
«Records? Let’s go for them, let’s go! I like breaking records. It is also special, to be the most international in history. I have to confess that it is something that makes me feel quite proud », he declared.
In addition, “I would like to have many more matches with the national team ahead of me in my career,” he guaranteed.
CR7 numbers
This mark extends the long list of records: he is the top scorer in history, with 828 goals; of selections, with 118; and the Champions League, with 140.
He is also the footballer with the most matches in the “Champions”, with 183, ahead of the 177 of the Spanish Iker Casillas or the 163 of the Argentine Leo Messi, among many other achievements.
After a difficult period at Manchester United and a turbulent World Cup in Qatar, Cristiano seems to have recovered his form at his current club, Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, with whom he has already scored 9 goals in 10 games.
Ladies and gentlemen, the 👑 of Records: @Cristiano Ronaldo is the Most International EVER! 🐐 🇵🇹 #VesteABandeira
Ladies and gentlemen, the 👑 of Records: Cristiano Ronaldo is the player with the Most International Caps in History! 🐐 🇵🇹 #WearTheFlag pic.twitter.com/IAblk5dVqb
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) March 23, 2023
🇵🇹 197 times wearing the Portuguese flag!
Cristiano Ronaldo breaking records once again 👏@selecaoportugal | @Cristiano
— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@fifaworldcup_es) March 23, 2023
